Nawaz, Shahbaz meet victims on Eid day

BAHAWALPUR: The death toll in the Ahmedpur East tragedy reached 170, as two more persons succumbed to their injuries on Wednesday.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif promised an in-depth inquiry into the incident and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif spent the Eid day in Bahawalpur.

“We have to look into what was the condition of that truck (tanker)? We will not let this incident go without reaching any conclusion," the prime minister said, speaking to the affected people in Ahmedpur East.

The prime minister, who expressing his deep grief over the tragedy, however, regretted the "inappropriate" attitude of some politicians on television. "Yesterday, some people did politics on television. It is inappropriate. There should be no politics for politics on such tragic occasions, when we should console the injured and affected," he remarked.

The prime minister agreed with the view of Shahbaz that illiteracy and poverty lead to such accidents.

He said the government was doing everything it could to improve economy, realise development, boost agriculture, check energy shortages and move the wheels of industry, so as to curb unemployment.

He said the moment he heard about the fire incident, he directed the chief minister to immediately reach Bahawalpur and supervise the rescue and relief efforts.

Nawaz, who cut short his visit to London and reached Bahawalpur on Monday morning, said he visited the Victoria Hospital and enquired after the health of those injured by the incident.

He told the people that during his visit to the hospital he met an injured youth, who despite being critically injured, expressed his pleasure over meeting with him and asked for a job. Similarly, another injured youth said he desired to
meet him(Nawaz), the prime minister said and added, “This really touched my heart and I prayed for their health and life.”

The prime minister said the government would provide jobs to such injured people after they get recovered, and to the members of affected families.

Nawaz said he or the chief minister had not done any favour by visiting the area and meeting the affected people, as it was their duty. “This Eid has turned into a day of grief for us and the whole nation,” he said, adding they would continue to fulfil their responsibilities with full commitment.

Shahbaz said the prime minister, who was scheduled to have his medical tests in London, cut short his visit and reached Bahawalpur to express solidarity with the people, as he loved his people.

Earlier in Bahawalpur, the prime minister was briefed on the tragic oil-tanker fire incident and the rescue and relief measures afterwards.

On the other hand, the families affected by the tragic incident expressed gratitude to Nawaz and Shahbaz for being with them in their hour of grief.

The families said they were consoled to find the prime minister among them and it had given them the courage to overcome their pain and sorrow. The prime minister went around various wards of the hospital and met the injured.

He handed over cheques of Rs 1 million each for the injured and Rs 2 million for heirs of those who lost their lives.

Those who succumbed to their injuries on Wednesday were the oil tanker driver, Gul Muhammad, and 16-year-old Shoaib. They were under treatment at the burn unit of Nishtar Hospital in Multan. The number of people, who have so far succumbed to the wounds, has increased to 20, while 39 others are still in a critical condition and being treated at the hospital.

On Tuesday, the bodies of 125 unidentified victims of the fire tragedy were laid to rest after offering mass funeral prayer amid tears and mourning scenes. The bodies were buried in numbered graves by the district administration. The administration said DNA samples of the victims had been collected and would be matched by those of their relatives to ascertain the identities of numbered graves.

Meanwhile, 24 bodies, which were identified, were handed over to their heirs and buried at their ancestral graveyards.

On the other hand, Shahbaz personally supervised the shifting of patients to different hospitals from Bahawalpur who sustained burn injuries in the Ahmedpur East incident.

Shahbaz immediately rushed to Bahawalpur on Sunday after receiving the details of the incident and inquired after the health of patients at CMH and Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur. 

He, who spent the Eid day (Monday) in Bahawalpur, later visited to burn unit of Nishtar Hospital, Multan, to inquire about the health of the patients admitted there.

Instead of flying back to Lahore, he returned to Bahawalpur and supervised the shifting operation of injured persons to other districts through C-130 airplane. He spent the night in Bahawalpur and offered Eid prayers at the Circuit House.